Method of treating seafood and the product resulting therefrom



Patented Jan. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES METHOD OF TREATING SEAFOOD AND THEPRODUCT RESULTING THEREFROM Charles H. Schuh, Glendale, Long Island, N.Y., assignor to Sturmack Company, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporationof Delaware No Drawing. Applicatiin August 27, 1931, Serial No. 559,775.Renewed June 16, 1934 9 Claims.

The present invention relates to a method of treating seafood and to theproduct resulting threfrom and more particularly to a method of treatingseafood to produce a baked and smoked ".5 steak and to a'baked andsmoked seafood steak produced by said method.

Itis well known that when fish is boned and converted to the filletcondition, a product is obtained which has a watery consistency andwhich tends to lose a portion ,of its juices as soon as it is compressedor processed in some manner. The art has been in want of a steak orshaped unit of seafood which is edible and ready for consumption andwhich can be sliced and handled, and merchandised like delicatessenproducts such as bacon or sturgeon. Various proposals have been made toproduce an edible and sliceable steak of seafood. Thus, attempts to makesuch steaks by shredding and compressing a seafood or by shredding,compressing and processing under heat. or filleting,compressing,-heating and'cooling under pressure, etc., have resulted inthe loss of juices, in the production of units having unsatisfactoryconsistency for slicing and have resulted in the production of finishedunits having an unpalatable taste. As far as I am aware, the art has notbeen provided with merchantable and consumable units or steaks of fishor seafood, and has not been provided with a satisfactory and practicalmethod of treating seafood or fish to form units or'steaks; g

Y I have discovered that steaks-of seafood or fish which aremerchantable, consumable, sliceable,

and handleable can be produced, and that the ob- I jectionsanddifilculties notedhereinabove with respect to prior methods can beavoided.

It is an object of the invention to provide a method of producing steaksof seafood or fish which are baked and are ready for consumption andwhich are capable of being cut or sliced like cooked and preparedsturgeon. 7

It is another object of the invention to provide a steakof seafood whichis nutritious, palatable and which contains a relatively high percentageof protein.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a method ofproducing steaks of seafood or fish .in relatively simple, economicaland thoroughly practical manner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

Generally speaking, I first fillet the fish in the usual manner. To thefillet fish or watery fish mass, I add sufficient material having a highprote a c n e to e l he is mat n f a jel y like product. The jelly-likeproduct is packed into a suitable mold without the loss of any drippage.The fish inthe mold is baked and a baked fish steak is produced withoutthe loss of juices. The baked steak of seafoodis smoked under theinfluence of heat. The smoked steak can be handied and sold as a unit,can be cut or sliced,,and can be eaten directly as a foodstuff. For abetter understanding of the invention, by those skilled in the art, andfor illustrative purposes, the following specific examples are given.

Example No. 1

Seafood or fish such as mackerel is boned in order. to put the same intoa fillet condition. By fillet condition is meant, fish in a skinned andboned condition together with. any shreds which are produced. To thefillet fish or watery fish mass, I .add sufiicient material containing ahigh protein content to cause the jellying there-. of. In practice, Ihave found that the addition of shrimp which contains about 25.4% ofprotein is suitable as the protein-containing material. I have foundthat about parts of fillet mackerel and 50 parts of shredded shrimp whenthoroughly mixed together will form a jelly-like product. This productcontains practically all of the liquid or drippage which was produced inthe foregoing operation. If desired, seasoning can be added to themixture while undergoing the mixing operation. For instance, salt,spice, and the like, may be added to season the seafood to the desiredtaste.

The jellyr-like mass of seafood or fish is packed into an"aluminum moldhaving a suitable shape. The fish is baked at suitable temperatures,such as about 100 C. to about 150 C. for a period of time suflicient tobake the fish. In practice, about one-quarter of an hour to about onehour is sufficient time. The exact duration of time, of course, willvary depending upon the size and shape of the steak of fish.

The baked steak is placed in a cheese-cloth bag and is hung up in asmoke house. During the smoking operation, heat gradually applied untila maximum temperature of say about C. to about C. is attained at aboutthe middle of the operation and the temperature is again reduced.

After the steak has been smoked, it can be handled and. wrapped as aunit in any suitable manner. For instance, it can be wrapped incellophane and can be shipped and. sold in stores such as butcher shops,delicatessen stores, grocery stores, and the like. The smoked steak ofseafood is palatable and is capable of being sliced. Thus a consumer cancut the'finished smoked steak into slices and can directly consume thesliced seafood steak without any further treatment.

Example N o. 2

containing material with a high protein content,

such as the white of an egg, itoithe mixture of mackerel and cod, ajelly-like' product can -be proa duced. In practice, I havefoundthattlre'white V,

of one egg is suflicient to cause the. jellying of about one pound toabout two pounds of gen s and shredded fish mixture. The white of theegg, of course, is thoroughly mixed the fish mixture. The jelly-likeproduct takes up practically all of the liquid or drippage producedi inthe foregoing operation.

' il he -jelly-lik e mass is packed into .an aluminumimold of suitableshape and is'then baked 1 as described-in ExampleNo. l.

r For instance, the steak can be baked at a temperature of about 100 C.to about'150 C. for about one-quarter of f an hour to about one hour.Following this baking manner as described in Example No. 1.

operation, the baked fish =is smoked :in the same when the fish has beenthoroughly smokedpit can be wrapped cellophane, or the like, and isready for shipment and consumption. 'In the smoked conditiqnthe fi shcan be cut and sliced ess ge 21*? simi t ne es e s s e .n-

s esme flq-fl About i9 eer e qfsh e es s abieae about 5 parts. ishreddeclishrimpere in x q. to the $11 nee and as .slrisp se assimilate140 h e e wh te s .e s d, e yf ien p a the white o one see to ever Wenorm as .besessoeeq ith salt, spices and th The'seasgned and jelly-11.5.? mas is be as temperet 199 C.- f o abo .159 Io peel siihi alnm'num ml s The .a msnes si i iebe s emanates; at; has vgnelhoun Famine be, 11gasses EKfllil-ple C ine ls s 'sres i read tor cons.

t a .01" it wear n and sh p ng m ntio ed s neciiqs i h Examhe iasEzrample No. .4

that ghoi io' a ts o k e and .0 par s 9;- cellop's form 2 m ture h helli sseaspning may. be added to produce any desired 9 impregn te tast hs aso ed and of thedrippage is packed into suitable aluminum i st-Q1 h n-he de i ed s ar {use flee e 'iqqee is ab ut 59 owi asins h fiss s-smkeqes s lflsem o The moke sii flii steels. is eady fo cohsw pt o QPfQsan l lgell l handlin s, n ar cle o core- 99i a I h abs nce t at h res nisrsns "vv as t mesa ie ly ss'i 'i th is m xturei e P od-1 st is mosedas .de-

e a temi e turef om a t tion provides a simple, practical and thoroughlysatisfactory method for treating seafood and converting the same into amerchantable and consumable article of commerce which contains thedrippage which is ordinarily lost.

- 1; ,wii i ls the, no insti ls-Pr sent invention provides a seafoodsteak winch can ilie cut and sliced like sturgeon, which is palatable,and which may have any suitable shape.

Although I have mentioned certain specific fish and ce tainisnesifi p i-c ntainin sub- .stances, itvwiuibe understood that other fish orseafqodcanbe ern plo yed and that other appropriate rotein cpntainingmaterial or material of marine. ,qri gin having a relatively highcontent can be employed. In this connection, it is to be noted t hat theaverage protein content of fresh fish and seafood is only about 10%,whereas the protein content of the fish or seafood employed as theprotein-containing material has a relativezly hi h. pmtein locntentiasfor example shrimp haying .a protein content Qfi3bQl1 :-25%.

Iolaim:

1. The method of treating seafood which .comprises convertingitreshiseafooclin to a 'filletmona dition, while preventingiansubstantial. loss ,of .drippage, incorporating sufficient ima-terial'having a relatively highprotein content in said fill-let fish astolcause the latter to form a jelly-like mass, 'the aforesaid operationsbeing conducted without water soaking, cooking, curing, sailting,compressing or canning, then baking said jelly- -like mass, andfinally'smoking the baked fish under the influence of "heat to a stable,consumable and handleable seafoodsteak;

ture to give a desired taste, adding suflicient ma.-

terial having a relatiyely high protein content to said fish mixture tocause the formationof a jelly-like mass,- packing said jelly-like massinto 'a mold=,-thea;foresaid operations being conducted without watersoaking, cooking, curing, salting, compressingjor canning, then bakingthe fish, and-finally smoking said baked fish under the influence"offheat to form a firm hand-leable and edibl'steak;

3. The method of treating seafood which com-" 'prises'filletingfresh seafoqdwh-ile preventing the loss of liquid or 'dripp age, mixing amaterial having a relatively high proteinrcontent of marine origininsaid mixture of seafoodin suflicient amount to cause the latterto form ajelly-like mass, acking said jelly into a mold of suitable shape, theaforesaidoperations being conducted without water soaking, cooking,curing, salting, compressing or canning, then baking said fish, and,fina ly smokin an fish under the nf u of, heat o hendle e and. sliceableu it.

41 The methoeoi treating seafood wh ch oomprises filleting fresh seafoodwhile preventing loss at qr pese. adding suiiicient. mater al havin arelatirely high otein con ent includin th whi of eases in e m-filletseafood i amount su fic ent to cause the latte to ionn. a ie11y=1ikemass witht e drippas rproduced th filletin estat on-packing said iylikem ss into molds of sui able shar a the afo sa d ope ti ns beinconducted without Water soaking, cooking, curi s, elti aeompr ssie -o caiiinsa then baki sa d @51 n finally smok ng; a d baked. stea o? t einfluence of-heatto form a me chantahle e ib e and sumable stea s 5. Anintegral seafood steak capable of being handled as a rigid, merchantableand edible unit and capable of being sliced comprising a solid,heat-smoked, baked mass of jelly-like fish containing drippage andcontaining material having a relatively high protein content, saidmaterial being present in suflicient amount tocause the formation ofsaid jelly-like mass.

6. An integral seafood steak capable of being handled as a rigid,merchantable and edible unit and capable of being sliced comprising asolid, heat-smoked, baked mass of fillet seafood containing drippagethereof and containing material having a relatively high protein contentin amount to cause the formation of jelly-like mass.

'7. An integral seafood steak capable of being handled as a rigid,merchantable and edible unit and capable of being sliced comprising asolid, heat-smoked, baked mass of fish containing drippage andcontaining suificient material having a relatively high protein contentincluding white of an egg to cause the formation of a jelly-likecondition.

8. The process of treating seafood which comprises filleting freshseafood, adding sufficient material having a relatively high proteincontent to said fillet fish to cause the formation of a jellylike mass,the aforesaid operations being conducted without water-soaking, cooking,curing, salting, compressing or canning, then baking the fish, andfinally smoking said baked fish under the influence of heat to form afirm, handleable edible steak.

9. An integral seafood steak, said seafood steak being capable of beinghandled as a rigid, merchantable and edible unit and of being capable ofbeing sliced, comprising a solid, heat-smoked, baked mass of jelly-likefish mass material having a relatively high protein content, saidmaterial being present in sufiicient amount to cause the formation ofsaid jelly-like mass.

CHARLES H. SCHUH.

